Instructional Designer Resume Examples and Templates for 2023

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Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual median income for instructional designers was $61,570 in 2020. These professionals are responsible for developing training and education programs using a systemic approach to analyze and identify learning needs. Instructional design as a discipline is widely incorporated across countless industries. Consequently, there is a high demand for professionals with expertise in this space. However, due to the lucrative nature of these positions, you’ll likely encounter strong competition as you apply for jobs on the open market. To differentiate yourself from the field of applicants, you’ll need to build an accomplishment-driven resume that highlights the most substantial aspects of your career.

Using our instructional designer resume building guide will help you to:

  • •   Build a compelling document that highlights your subject matter expertise in education technology, learning management systems, and instructional design principles
  • •   Showcase the impact of your professional achievements on staff development and customer training by incorporating key metrics and monetary figures
  • •   Feature your leadership capabilities by highlighting specific examples of you coordinating with cross-functional teams to enhance training and education programs
  • •   Ensure compliance with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) using appropriate keywords

Instructional Designer Resumes Created Using Our ResumeBuilder

Entry-level
Instructional-Designer_Entry-level.pdf

Example #1 Entry-level

Mid-career
Instructional-Designer_Mid-career.pdf

Example #2 Mid-career

Senior-level
Instructional-Designer_Senior-level.pdf

Example #3 Senior-level

Instructional Designer Text-Only Resume Examples

Years of Experience
  • Entry-level Entry-level
  • Mid-career Mid-career
  • Senior-level Senior-level

Jasmine Brown
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 W Adams Ave, Detroit, MI 12345

Profile

An Instructional Designer with entry-level experience specializing in adult education, learning management systems (LMS), curriculum development, and E-learning. Adept at using instructional design principles to develop and implement high-quality adult education programs.

Professional Experience

Instructional Designer, Genesis Software Inc., Detroit, MI
May 2021 – Present

  • Lead the development of customer training materials for a suite of software products using adult learning theory and instructional design principles
  • Create and define content and training curriculum for technical and non-technical audiences, including eLearning modules and webinars
  • Analyze feedback from users on the effectiveness of course material and identify areas of improvement, resulting in a 10% increase in customer satisfaction

Instructional Design Internship, Adult Learning Pros., Detroit, MI
January 2021– May 2021

  • Provided support to the instructional design team for the development of curriculum and adult learning training materials for staff development
  • Created visual assets, graphics, and presentations for training seminars and refined content to ensure accessibility across a wide range of audiences

Education

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Instructional Design
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, September 2017 – May 2021

Key Skills

  • Instructional Design
  • Adult Learning Theory
  • eLearning Modules
  • Learning Management Systems (LMS)
  • Articulate Storyline

Certifications

  • Become an Instructional Designer (LinkedIn Learning), 2021

Raymond Ortiz
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Santa Maria, San Francisco, CA 12345

Profile

An Instructional Designer with five years of experience specializing in eLearning, curriculum development, continuous improvement, and Articulate Storyline. A proven track record of developing and enhancing training programs and curricula for large organizations.

Adept at identifying learning needs and training approaches for diverse student populations.

Professional Experience

Instructional Designer, Advanced Education Consulting, San Francisco, CA
May 2019 – Present

  • Coordinate with instructional designers and the product development team to develop curriculum, courses, and eLearning products for small businesses and enterprise organizations, including optimizing content and training materials
  • Evaluate student progress and identify opportunities to improve product features and training materials, resulting in a 15% increase in student engagement
  • Analyze performance data and student feedback to refine eLearning modules, resulting in a 20% increase in test scores and a 45% increase in student enrollment

Instructional Designer, Talent Builders Inc., San Francisco, CA
May 2017– May 2019

  • Partnered with internal technology teams to create new courses, education programs, training modifications, and the customer-facing website for instructional design products
  • Utilized learning management systems (LMS) and Articulate Storyline to create training scripts, video segments, and instructional guides for adult learners

Education

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Instructional Design
University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, September 2013 – May 2017

Key Skills

  • Instructional Design
  • Curriculum Development
  • Articulate Storyline
  • eLearning
  • Continuous Improvement

Certifications

  • Instructional Design Foundations, Coursera, 2018
  • Become an Instructional Designer, LinkedIn Learning, 2017

Meera Patel
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Bridge Street, Boston, MA 12345

Profile

An Instructional Designer with 10+ years of experience specializing in curriculum development, eLearning, and content strategy. A strong history of collaborating with cross-functional teams to build innovative learning solutions. Adept at using learning technology, universal design principles, and blended approaches to design programs for target audiences.

Professional Experience

Instructional Designer, Healthcare Learning Center, Boston, MA
October 2016 – Present

  • Manage, develop, and implement training curriculum and resources for medical education programs, including content strategy, course design, and eLearning modules
  • Coordinate with subject matter experts to integrate universal design principles across all courses and learning formats and ensure the accessibility of educational materials across diverse student populations, resulting in a 30% increase in student engagement
  • Oversee the transition to eLearning classrooms and digital curriculums during Covid-19 to retain existing students and ensure the continued delivery of high-quality medical training

Instructional Design Consultant, Med Education Consulting, Boston, MA
May 2011– October 2016

  • Provided consulting services to clients as a subject matter expert in curriculum development and instructional design, which included delivering recommendations for product development, quality assurance, and student engagement
  • Identified learning needs for organizations, which included identifying opportunities to improve training programs and learning materials for diverse student populations

Education

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Instructional Design
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, September 2007 – May 2011

Key Skills

  • Instructional Design
  • Curriculum Development
  • Articulate Storyline
  • eLearning
  • Continuous Improvement

Certifications

  • Certified Professional in Talent Development, ATD, 2016
  • Instructional Design Pro, Udemy, 2014
  • Instructional Design Foundations, Coursera, 2013

Tips for Writing a Better Instructional Designer Resume

Instructional design positions require a unique combination of technology, education, and leadership skills. To build a compelling instructional designer resume, you’ll need to highlight specific achievements to brand yourself as a thought leader within your space. For instance, you may want to demonstrate how you incorporated advanced concepts such as universal design principles into your learning curriculums. You may also want to use metrics to quantify the impact of your training materials on individual learners and organizations. By drawing attention to specific accomplishments rather than generic job responsibilities, you’ll create a resume that truly tells your unique story within the instructional design field. Below, you’ll find three expert tips to help you apply our resume-building methodology to your document.

1. Showcase Your Instructional Design Expertise

To secure job opportunities within the instructional design field, you need to brand yourself as a thought leader and subject matter expert. The best way to accomplish this is by drawing attention to the nuances of your approach to curriculum development and education. In the example below, the candidate highlights their experience integrating universal design principles into their learning programs. This is an important concept to touch on, as organizations are heavily adopting universal design due to its adaptability across diverse student populations. They also showcase their experience in transitioning towards virtual learning environments during Covid-19, which speaks to both their leadership capabilities and subject matter expertise in eLearning.

  • Manage, develop, and implement training curriculum and resources for medical education programs, including content strategy, course design, and eLearning modules
  • Coordinate with subject matter experts to integrate universal design principles across all courses and learning formats and ensure the accessibility of educational materials across diverse student populations, resulting in a 30% increase in student engagement
  • Oversee the transition to eLearning classrooms and digital curriculums during Covid-19 to retain existing students and ensure the continued delivery of high-quality medical training

2. Quantify Your Education Achievements

To grab the hiring manager’s attention, you want to incorporate KPIs, percentages, and strong numbers to showcase the impact of your learning strategies and education programs. Within the instructional design field, your achievements can be quantified in a number of different ways. In the example below, the job seeker highlights a significant impact in student engagement as a result of incorporating feedback to improve curriculum design. They also draw attention to a significant increase in both test scores and student enrollment, which are key indicators for assessing the quality of the training materials. Using specific data and results from your professional achievements will go a long way in securing your next interview opportunity.

  • Coordinate with instructional designers and the product development team to develop curriculum, courses, and eLearning products for small businesses and enterprise organizations, including optimizing content and training materials
  • Evaluate student progress and identify opportunities to improve product features and training materials, resulting in a 15% increase in student engagement
  • Analyze performance data and student feedback to refine eLearning modules, resulting in a 20% increase in test scores and a 45% increase in student enrollment

3. Create an Eye-catching Professional Profile

Due to the large volume of applications hiring managers receive for new job openings, they often have limited time to read through each document in-depth. This is why making a strong impression early is important to grab the attention of potential employers. When building your summary, you should incorporate four specializations that match the needs of the organization you’re applying to. You should also provide a compelling snapshot that features key aspects of your career as an education professional. In the example below, the candidate draws specific attention to their use of blended approaches in developing innovative learning programs, which will help them stand out from other applicants.

Profile


An Instructional Designer with 10+ years of experience specializing in curriculum development, eLearning, and content strategy. A strong history of collaborating with cross-functional teams to build innovative learning solutions. Adept at using learning technology, universal design principles, and blended approaches to design programs for target audiences.

Key Skills Hiring Managers Look for on Instructional Designer Resumes

Providing appropriate professional skills is a key aspect of the resume-building process. Because employers heavily rely on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen potential candidates. You’ll need to ensure that your document possesses the right amount of keywords to advance in the hiring process. Incorporating a mix of hard and soft skills is important here. This will help employers identify you as a strong fit for their work culture. Below, you’ll find a list of potential key skills that you may encounter over the course of your job search:

Key Skills and Proficiencies
Adult Learning Articulate Storyline
Content Development Corporate Training
Cross-Training Cross-Functional Collaboration
Curriculum Development Curriculum Design
Differentiated Instruction eLearning
Instructional Design Learning Management Systems (LMS)
Microsoft Office Suite Program Development
Project Management Quality Assessment
Staff Development Student Assessment
Student Engagement Talent Development
Team Leadership Training and Development
Training Manuals Universal Design
Vertical Alignment  

Common Action Verbs for Instructional Design Resumes

You’re not alone if you run short on action verbs during the resume-building process. Many professionals struggle to diversify their language when describing their work experience, especially within an education-related field. Using an assortment of action verbs can often help to enhance the presentation and reading experience for the hiring manager, provided that you don’t undermine the essential meaning of your bullet points. For example, you wouldn’t want to use coordinated instead of managed simply for the sake of interchanging a verb, but you could use a word such as oversaw or directed in its place. Below, you’ll find a list of action verbs you can use to describe your instructional design experience.

Action Verbs
Analyzed Built
Conducted Coordinated
Collaborated Created
Cross-Trained Designed
Delivered Developed
Drove Enhanced
Evaluated Executed
Identified Implemented
Improved Led
Managed Oversaw
Partnered Planned
Provided Spearheaded
Supported Trained

How to Align Your Instructional Designer Resume With the Job Description

Aligning your resume with the job description is essential for generating interview opportunities during the application process. Companies value candidates who fit their organizational needs. The best way to demonstrate this is by tailoring your content toward specific job postings.

This will ensure that your resume achieves compliance with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and help you make a positive impression on the hiring manager.

Research the company you’re applying to before submitting your document, and pay close attention to the requirements listed in the job description. If the posting places a particular emphasis on education technology and eLearning, you may want to demonstrate your expertise in Articulate Storyline or other instructional design programs. If the company mentions adult learning theory or universal design principles, you’ll want to provide deeper insights into the curriculums you developed and how you enhanced student engagement with educational materials. By tailoring your content towards a specific opportunity, you’ll significantly increase your chances of landing your next interview.